
Your gift to Project Advance 2019 helps support
Special Grants for 2019
Our Annual Appeal
Project Advance is crucial to the Church’s mission of providing services that benefit all Catholics and countless others in our Archdiocese. Our annual appeal lets us not only provide for our local Church but also strengthen our parishes. To date close to $105 million has been returned to parishes so they can meet the growing needs they have for their buildings and social programs.
Our Archdiocesan goal of $3.25 million helps the communities we serve. Our core needs continue to be the renovation of our secondary schools, the founding of new parishes, the care of the needy and marginalized through our Archdiocesan Ministries.
You have 4 Ways to Give
There are many ways you can give to our annual appeal. All gifts to Project Advance can be designated to a specific parish.
Donate OnlineMake your payment on our website and designate your parish as the recipient. You can donate a one-time gift or consider making a monthly donation to help manage your gift giving.
Donate Securities
You can donate publicly traded securities, bonds or mutual funds as a tax efficient way of contributing to Project Advance. Download information and instructions for donating stock options.
Mail a Pledge Card or Cheque
Download the pledge card. These are also available at the parishes.
Planned Giving
[bequests, life insurance and other types of investments]
If you are interested in supporting the Project Advance Annual Appeal now and in the future, please contact the Development Office at 604 683-0281. These planned gifts help maximize the benefit and minimize the tax.
General
Project Advance is a diocesan-wide annual appeal which seeks to provide resources for both diocesan and individual parish needs. Project Advance began in 1980 with Archbishop Carney’s vision of building a strong diocesan community. Its purpose was to provide the necessary resources to fund important capital projects within the Archdiocese. In later years, programs in the areas of education, social concerns and spiritual growth were added. Parishioners responded to this call for support with great generosity, and the fruits of their gifts can be seen and felt throughout the Archdiocese and in all parishes.
Under the guidance of our Steering Committee, comprised of clergy and laypersons, our pastors and the tireless work of parish volunteers, each year the Archdiocese and its parishes are able to go forward with many worthwhile capital and operational projects.
Project Advance provides the opportunity to promote the ideals of Christian stewardship, to become aware of our blessings, and to use them accordingly for the growth and benefit of God’s Kingdom in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Further, parishioners have become more aware of the needs beyond the boundaries of their own individual parishes. Project Advance enables them to share in reaching the goals of both the diocese and their own parish.
The Parish Rebate Program has assisted all parishes within the Archdiocese to fund their own local building or financial programs. Further details on the rebate will follow.
The parish goal is based on the total parish income from Sunday collections as reported by your parish to the Archdiocese. The individual parish’s percentage of the total income is the approximate percentage of its Project Advance Archdiocesan goal. For example, if Parish A contributed 2.4% of the total Sunday collection for the previous year, then its share will be approximately 2.4% of the total Project Advance goal. Some adjustments may be made for special circumstances. The $3.25M goal is approximately 12% of the total Archdiocesan Sunday collection so most parish goals are approximately 12% of their annual Sunday collection.
The Project Advance Steering Committee has been appointed to make the decisions regarding allocation of Project Advance funds. The main case meets pressing capital and charitable needs in the Archdiocese. There is a “Special Grants” fund of up to $100,000 set aside for which groups within the Archdiocese that require one-time special funding may apply. The committee’s recommendations for these grants are sent to Archbishop Miller for approval. Applications are available online at www.projectadvance.ca.
Appeal Procedures
Yes, using your credit card, you can make a one time donation or any number of monthly donations credited to the parish of your choice by clicking here now.
No, they don’t have to be. A donor can set up a monthly charge plan, thereby avoiding extra bank interest charges while stretching outpayments. Your pledge card provides a place to indicate the number of months you wish to make a payment.
The transactions will be processed either on the 14th or the 28th of each month. You may indicate your preference on the pledge card. Otherwise your payment will be processed as soon as possible.
Tax receipts, in accordance with tax regulations, only include the actual amount received throughout the calendar year up to and including December 31st.
Either spouse can use the tax receipt regardless of the name printed on the receipt. It is preferable to have both spouses’ names on the pledge card.
One-time Online Donation tax receipts are available immediately after the donation is processed. Donors are sent an email which includes a link as to where they can retrieve their receipt. Please note that installment payments are receipted at year end with the others.
All other Project Advance tax receipts are printed in January and sent to the parishes so they can be distributed along with the parish receipt in February.
Gifts should be made under the name of the person who intends to use the receipt for income tax purposes.
Phone the Project Advance Office at 604 683 0281 and we will issue a replacement.
You should call both the parish and the Project Advance Office and let them know your new address. If you receive a reminder notice with an old address, please make the necessary changes on the reminder notice and return it to our office.
Rather than writing several post-dated cheques, pre-authorized payments accomplish the same thing, but are safer and more cost-effective to process. The donor attaches a void cheque to the pledge card, and indicates the monthly amount and number of payments to be deducted. The cheque and pledge card are forwarded to the Project Advance office for processing.
Pre-Authorized payments will be debited on the 15th or 28th of each month, until the pledge is fulfilled. Please indicate if you have a preference. If this day falls on a weekend or Holiday, the debit will occur on the next working day.
Yes, but we don’t encourage it for security reasons. It is impossible to trace a cash gift. Ask for a receipt whenever giving cash.
To accommodate donors who want to spread out their pledges and for those parishes that are on major capital appeals requiring larger than average pledges. This is an option for donors and not a requirement. Given the high volume of post-dated cheques, many people are already extending payments beyond six months.
No. Pledge reminders will only be sent for direct billing.
Payments received on or around the day of printing will not be reflected on the statement. If a payment is made to a parish it can result in delays. Should you have any questions, please phone the Project Advance Office at 604 683-0281.
Over the history of Project Advance, expenses have averaged 5%.
Parish Manual
Click here
to download the full Parish Manual
Poster
(Click image below to download)

Brand Guide

The Project Advance Office has created a few guidelines
on the use of the logos. We would like to advise that you
please review these standards before creating any materials
and please send all materials for review to paa@rcav.org.
To download Project Advance Graphics, click here.
Sample Pledge Forms

Project Advance
Archdiocese of Vancouver
4885 Saint John Paul II Way
Vancouver BC V5Z 0G3
Phone: 604 683 0281
Fax: 604 683 4288
Administrator
Grant Andrews
Database Clerk
Tim Phan
2020 Special Grants Guidelines & Application
Deadline: September 27, 2019
Each year the Project Advance Steering Committee invites groups that help others in the Archdiocese to apply for a special grant to help with their endeavours. $100,000 is allocated annually for special grants.
2019 Special Grants Guidelines & Application for Parish-based refugee sponsorship initiatives
Applications are being accepted throughout 2019
Money has been set aside for Parish-based refugee sponsorship initiatives under the Special Grant Application process. The amount for a Refugee Contingency Fund Initiative will be determined on a year to year basis and applications will be processed in the same manner as any other special grant application.